1. Create an office space

Dedicating space for work ensures you draw a boundary (literally) between the personal and the professional.

Mitali Parekh, a freelance journalist, has a room with just a desk, a chair and a wi-fi router.

"There is nothing else in it," she says, "No books, no TV and definitely no bed. So there is no temptation to nap."

Don't get any of your personal stuff into your office -- your bills or your vegetables or that telephone line.

Much of this helps get you into a 'zone' and can keep you away from being sucked into the chores that you might just suddenly remember, for instance, after seeing that cobweb or an improperly stacked pile of books and DVDs.

Also, inform your family of your work hours and ensure they respect your workspace.

Image: Carve out a space and dedicate it to work and nothing else. (Picture used here for representational purposes only.)Photographs: Design In White/Creative Commons

You know exactly what you need to achieve EOD and you will (most likely) work towards completing it.

Parekh takes this a step further. She makes a 'micro-list' -- containing all the tasks like writing emails or making telephone calls etc, which may seem minor and boringly administrative, but are crucial nonetheless.

The separate list ensures she doesn't miss out on the smaller (but important) things she needs to achieve through the day.

4. Club tasks into groups

The moment you have your list (and micro-list) ready, club all similar-tasks into groups -- writing out emails and making phone calls for instance, putting together those presentations, drawing out Excel sheets etc -- and tackle the tasks group-wise.

Remember, keep the labour-intensive tasks for the second half because you tend to slow down-post lunch.

Parekh gets around to writing her emails at night.

That way she ensures hers is among the first emails to be read in the morning. The follow-up phone calls are made closer to noon when she knows her email would have been (hopefully) read.

Tackle the thought-intensive tasks in the first half.

In Parekh's case, it is at about 5.30 am when she begins writing her piece and fires it off just around the time her editors are checking into their offices.

Similarly, club all your outdoor tasks together. So if you want to, let's say, run an errand, do it on your way back from a meeting you are to attend.

It'll save you money and not to mention time.

Image: Tasks like making phone calls or writing emails could be clubbed together. (Picture used here for representational purposes only.)Photographs: Kim Levin/Creative Commons

Parekh does not eat a meal before she has completed a certain number of tasks on her list.

Similarly, when she steps out of the house occasionally, to a coffee shop for instance to work, she ensures she is done with her assignment in a certain number of hours "because otherwise, I am compelled to spend another 500 rupees on a second cup of coffee."

Image: Would you have slacked off if you were in the office? (Picture used here for representational purposes only.)Photographs: Flee Circus/Creative Commons